Category Archives: Mission

Mission, Prayer

Mission Lazarus Day 5

This week I’m at Mission Lazarus in San Marcos de Colon, Honduras. During this time, I will be, for the most part, completely offline. Our team will be building a house, distributing food, teaching children, and serving as the hands and feet of Jesus. While I am away, I want to ask you to pray for our team. Below is a little info on what we will be doing today and a few prayer prompts that you can pray for us. Thank you in advance! Have a great week!

Wednesday, July 25
The team follows a “typical” daily schedule, going wherever they have been scheduled.

PRAY for unity on the team.
PRAY for discernment on where to explore open doors.
PRAY for endurance through the work and schedule.
PRAY for opportunities to pray with those who are open.

Scripture to Pray:
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. It is like precious oil poured on the head” (Psalm 133:1-2).

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).

Mission, Prayer

Mission Lazarus Day 4

This week I’m at Mission Lazarus in San Marcos de Colon, Honduras. During this time, I will be, for the most part, completely offline. Our team will be building a house, distributing food, teaching children, and serving as the hands and feet of Jesus. While I am away, I want to ask you to pray for our team. Below is a little info on what we will be doing today and a few prayer prompts that you can pray for us. Thank you in advance! Have a great week!

TUESDAY, July 24
The team follows a “typical” daily schedule, going wherever they have been scheduled.

PRAY for them to have just the right things that they will need in each place.
PRAY for openness among the recipients, not only for physical needs, but for spiritual needs also to be met.
PRAY for translators to be accessible when needed.

Scripture to Pray: read through Ephesians 6:10-16, praying the armor of God on each team member.

Mission, Prayer

Mission Lazarus Day 3

This week I’m at Mission Lazarus in San Marcos de Colon, Honduras. During this time, I will be, for the most part, completely offline. Our team will be building a house, distributing food, teaching children, and serving as the hands and feet of Jesus. While I am away, I want to ask you to pray for our team. Below is a little info on what we will be doing today and a few prayer prompts that you can pray for us. Thank you in advance! Have a great week!

Monday, July 23
The team starts the bulk of their work schedule today. For the next several days, they will be working at a mission site, visiting ongoing ministries, building a house, teaching children, and other work Mission Lazarus may need them to do.

PRAY that each person would get over travel quickly so they will not be tired.
PRAY for them to assimilate all the information they need today.
PRAY that they would feel peace and security in God’s plan for them to be there.

Scripture to Pray:
“Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18).

“But the Helper will teach you everything and will cause you to remember all that I told you…I leave you peace; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid” (John 14: 26-27).

Mission, Prayer

Mission Lazarus Day 2

This week I’m at Mission Lazarus in San Marcos de Colon, Honduras. During this time, I will be, for the most part, completely offline. Our team will be building a house, distributing food, teaching children, and serving as the hands and feet of Jesus. While I am away, I want to ask you to pray for our team. Below is a little info on what we will be doing today and a few prayer prompts that you can pray for us. Thank you in advance! Have a great week!

Sunday, July 22
After visiting and participating in a local church, the team will spend the day preparing for the rest of the week.

PRAY for God’s plans for each person to be accomplished on this trip.
PRAY for the team to have cultural discernment as they interact with those around them.
PRAY for the team to be flexible to whatever God has for them to do.

Scripture to Pray: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

“Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24b).

Get Back, Leadership, Ministry, Mission, Personal Leadership, Resources, Self-Leadership, Theology

Get Back 5- Life-Long Learning

I have a passion for learning. One of my core values is that Leaders are Learners and so I make sure that my daily actions are in line with this belief. Learning is a discipline and is strengthened through daily exercise.

We live in an day and age where each day offers you a new opportunity to grow in your calling. You can read a book, attend a conference, Skype with a mentor, or listen to a podcast. The possibilities are endless. All you have to do is make the choice to develop yourself, create a plan and stick with it.

My go-to form of development is Reading. Some may look at reading as merely a hobby. However, the truth is that while I love reading it is much more than a hobby for me. It is a necessity.

If I want to learn… I read.
If I need inspiration… I read.
If I need to understand the complexities of life… I read.
If I am hungry… I eat. (As amazing as reading is it can’t do everything.)

This year, I will read somewhere around 50 books.

I’m not chasing a number. I’m chasing wisdom.
I’m not after a trophy. I’m after knowledge.

Reading is essential for growth, development, inspiration, and focus. It is true in my life and it should be true in yours. As I’ve said before, you may believe that you do not have the time to read but the truth is you don’t time NOT to read. It is that important to your development as a leader. Growing organizations are led by growing leaders. If you aren’t growing… you’re dying.

I have had friends ask me how I read so much. Today’s post will give you a little insight into how I make the most of life-long learning through my reading.

I want share with you 3 simple ways to help you make reading an essential part of your life…

1) Choose the RIGHT BOOKS to read
There will be over 1 million new books published this year. You can’t possibly begin to try and read everything so the first step in making reading a essential part of your life is to read only the books that will have a direct impact on your leadership. I look for books in 3 categories:

a) Theology
As a pastor, I read books on theology in order to help me better understand God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Primarily this understanding comes directly through the Bible, God’s Word. I also read theologians like NT Wright, Walter Brueggemann, Miroslav Wolf, and Timothy Keller. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension.” I want my mind stretched by the things of God so that I will be forever changed.

b) Philosophy
I read theology so that I can understand God. I read philosophy so I can understand man. I may read a book on Psychology and then read a biography/autobiography. I might read up on a particular time in history and then I might follow that up with reading a work of literature. Reading philosophy isn’t about reading Freud or Socrates. The whole point of reading books in this category is to understand how others think and what they believe about life and how it should be lived. Reading about competing world views and philosophies doesn’t make them all equal and valid. Understanding them though will aid in helping to connect them to Jesus Christ and his will for their lives.

c) Best Practices
Best Practices are the types of books that will help me in a practical areas of life and ministry. Books on leadership, small groups, marriage, and administration help me gain insight and develop skills that I need to succeed. I am currently in a season where I am devouring everything I can on communication so that I can develop my teaching and speaking skills.

Exit Question: What are the categories of books you need to read in order to grow and develop your area of leadership? Choose 3 categories right now.

2) Take NOTES on what you read
If you want to get the most from your reading you must take notes on what you are learning. I have two ways that I take notes on what I’m reading. First, I never go anywhere without my Rickshaw Moleskine Folio. When I’m reading I try and distill any thoughts or ideas down to one sentance. I also write out any quotes that strike me as important. I primarily use my moleskin to take notes if I am reading from my Kindle. If I have a physical copy of the book I write my notes inside the front cover and the quotes on the inside of the back cover. Find a way to take notes that matches your personality and learning style.

photo
(This a picture of my Rickshaw Moleskine Folio. I actually own more than one of these. The folio allows me to carry my notes, pens, and anything else I might need when I’m reading and writing. You can see the reflection of my Starbucks Gold Card there in the front. I love this product.)

3) TELL someone what you are reading
Telling someone about what you are reading will do 2 things for you. First, you will begin to understand and clarify for yourself what you’re learning. Teaching others is a great way to learn. Second, you will find that as you share with others your excitement and confidence will grow. You will begin to feel and see the fruit of all your hard work. This will in turn encourage you to keep reading. You will see, feel, and know that your learning is having a tangible impact on you and those around you!

When leaders stop learning they ultimately stop leading. Don’t let this be true of your life. Right now commit to growing in your leadership through reading. Over the weekend, choose a book that will help you in your calling, decide on a method for keeping track on what you’re learning, and tell a close friend about the book you’ve chosen. Then…

Get reading so you can get leading!

Best of..., Book Review, iBoard, Leadership, Mission, Personal Leadership, Planning

Steve Martin and Ministry

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If you get the chance, I would encourage you to read through Steve Martin’s brilliant memoir about his stand-up career, Born Standing Up. I read it few years ago but have been reflecting back on it over the last few days.

Steve Martin is a member of my iBoard. My iBoard is an imaginary board of directors made up of men and women that I regard as leaders and visionaries in their respective fields whom I believe that I can learn from. My iBoard members represent people in the fields of leadership, ministry, theology, music, comedy, and philosophy.

I decided to read Martin’s memoir for a little more insight into the creative process and I wanted to understand how someone goes about crafting and then honing their skills until they are just right. I also knew that after 18 years (”Ten of those years were spent learning, four years were spent refining, and four were spent in wild success.”) Martin walked away from stand-up comedy forever.

I know plenty of pastors and volunteers who have experienced the same ebb and flow that I know Martin experienced. As a pastor I wanted to know if Martin chose to walk away because he felt burned out from his years in front of live audiences or if, like Seinfeld, he chose to exit while at the peak of success rather than slinking away in mediocrity.

As someone who spends a great deal of time standing before people delivering a message each week I can tell you that I have learned just as much watching stand-up comedians as I have watching people preach. I have learned more about timing, delivery, surprises, storytelling, and audience interaction by watching Steve Martin and Conan O’Brien than I ever have in a formal preaching class.

As I read the introduction I found proof that comedy and preaching go hand in hand despite what I was taught. I am quoting below but I exchanged the words comedy and stand-up for words that I deal with every week. See if you can relate.

My most persistent memory of (preaching) is of my mouth being in the present and my mind being in the future: the mouth speaking the line, the body delivering the gesture, while the mind looks back, observing, analyzing, judging, worrying, and then deciding when and what to say next. Enjoyment while (preaching) was rare – enjoyment would have been an indulgent loss of focus that (preaching) cannot afford. After the (sermon), however, I experienced long hours of elation of misery depending on how the show went, because (preaching) alone onstage is the ego’s last stand.

(Preaching) is seldom preformed in ideal circumstances. (Preaching’s) enemy is distraction, and rarely do (preachers) get a pristine performing environment. I worried about the sound system, ambient noise, hecklers, lighting, sudden clangs, latecomers, and not to mention the nagging concern “Is this (reaching people)?”

I too go through this same range of emotions and questions when I speak in front of any audience. As a campus minister I had to speak in front of a crowd of 600 high school and middle schoolers each day. I would have to be speaking, thinking about what I said, what I was going to say, judging reactions, judging content, analyzing the audience, worrying about this or that, monitoring time, and editing. Thankfully breathing and my heart work involuntary! Today whether I’m speaking in front of groups of 25 or 300, 20 leaders or the entire congregation the same thoughts and feelings surge through me. I am still working on my skills.

Born Standing Up was a great read. Do not be fooled, as affable and unflappable as Steve Martin might seem his struggles of self-doubt and self-worth can be shared by anyone who stands before an audience with a message. Martin is an extremely hard worker with a desire to better himself and his craft.

Martin has given me the understanding that in order to go as far as you want to go, you need a little self-realization, much discipline, and a whole lot of tenacity and courage.

Born Standing Up

Books, Discipleship, Ethos, Hope, Leadership, Mission, Resources

Why I Read

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“If you don’t read books, you don’t believe in love. Love is this idea of promoting growth in other people by sharing your intangibles. Reading books is a commitment– a several hundred page commitment to learn a complex idea and own it fully. Now, if you go out and you share knowledge with someone, what you will do is you will establish trust and respect and admiration. You are are an instant mentor because you are taking the time to learn complex ideas and to to teach them to others. Everybody that commits themselves to this can be a mentor. You have no excuse not to do this.” – Tim Sanders, author of Love is the Killer App

Experience, Faith in Action, Leadership, Mission, Prayer, Self-Leadership

Setting Goals for 2012

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I hope everyone had a very, Merry Christmas and that you were able to spend time with your family and friends over the holiday weekend. In less than one week, we will be celebrating the New Year so today I want to give you a few tips on planning and preparing so that  2012 can be a great year for you and those closest to you.

For the last week, I have been taking a few minutes out of each day in order to plan and set some goals for 2012. Over the years, I have gathered a handful of tips that have helped me set and achieve goals. I have come across these tips in books or at conferences or from practical experience. It is my hope that at least one of these tips will help you. Nelson Searcy talks about living a philosophy of “Learn & Return.” He says that anytime you learn something significant you should gladly return it back to the Kingdom by sharing what you’ve learned with others. It is my hope that by sharing some of what I’ve learned about setting goals that your life will be impacted in such a way that you will want to share this with someone else.

Begin and End In Prayer
When setting goals you definitely want to begin with prayer. You want to make sure that the plans you are making or the things you want to accomplish are firmly set and find their meaning within the purposes of God. When I am in a season of setting goals I often start by praying through Psalm 139. Asking God to search your heart and to test your motives is a difficult but crucial task if you are going to do anything of real significance for God this year. The psalm ends by asking God to lead you in his way- his will for your life. You can pick some things to do this year or you can ask the God of the Universe to help you accomplish great things that will have a lasting impact on you and those around you. To me, the choice is easy. Spend some time praying before you just start listing things you’d like to do this year.

Also, make sure to end your planning time in prayer. Thank God for the wisdom and insight he has provided. Pray that he will give you the strength and focus you need to carry out the goals he has given you. Praying before and after your planning puts a Prayer Parenthesis around your goals.

Think in Categories
In 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey encourages you list out the various life roles you play on a daily basis. For me, I have about six roles and relationships that I do life in every day. I am a Disciple of Jesus, a Husband, a Father, a Minister, a Friend, and a Son/Brother. Each of these roles call for a different set of responsibilities and growth happens differently in each of the realms. I have a different set of goals for developing my relationship with Jesus and I have different goals to help me be a greater spiritual leader in my home as a husband and father. There is a sense where growth in one area will impact the others but I feel like God calls me to list specific goals for each of these separately.

You can also break up your goals in to areas such as Emotional, Spiritual, Relational (What are my goals for my relationships this year?), Influence (Who do I need to influence this year and how?), Physical (What are my goals for my physical health this year?), Financial, and Intellectual (How am I going to grow intellectually this year?).

Breaking you goals up into categories helps you see what areas need growth and it can help you be specific about what goals to set.

Be Specific
Often, our goals are pretty vague. Getting specific helps us craft a plan for actually achieving the goals we set before us.

“I want to grow closer to God this year.” Ok. How? What steps are you going to take to grow closer to him? Will you spend more time reading your Bible? Will you make it a goal to pray more consistently? Be specific with this goal by stating something like this:

It is my goal to grow closer to God this year. In order to do this I will start my year off with a fast and I will read one of the gospels each week for the entire year.

“I want to love my wife more deeply.” What are you going to do to achieve this goal? Will you write her a love letter each week? Will you arrange a babysitter each week so that you can treat her to a weekly date night? Specific example:

It is my goal to love my wife more deeply through daily sending her a text message telling her how much she means to me, weekly sending her a card by mail, and monthly planning a date night to reconnect as a couple.

Don’t set vague goals. Vague goals do not change lives.

Tell Someone
Accountability is setting goals is a must. Tell someone your goals. Share with someone you hope and plans. Let a friend celebrate your victories and lift you up when you fail. Goals set in community impact a greater number of people. Don’t keep your goals to yourself.

Pray Hard, Work Hard
A phrase that I have always loved is “Pray like it depends on God, Work like it depends on you.” I have been using this phrase since I first heard it in college. This idea of Praying Hard and Working Hard recently popped up again because it played a big role in Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker and Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership (two of my top 5 books for 2011). Batterson writes that too often we set goals, pray to God about what we want,and then fail to do anything because we want God to just give us what we’ve asked for. We shouldn’t simply pray and walk away. We should pray and entrust our needs and desires to God but then we should be faithful to get after it and work toward that end. Sometimes God is gracious and drops things in our laps. Most of the time though God answers our prayer when we are obedient to him. You aren’t working to curry God’s favor so that he will give you what you desire. You’re work is carried out as an act of faith and trust in the One who truly determines every outcome. God delivered his people from the hand of Pharaoh but Moses still had to travel to Egypt. God gave Jericho to the Israelites but Joshua still had to march. Jesus prayed that God’s will be done but he still had to go to the cross. Praying hard and Working hard are not at odds. Both are acts of faith and both are needed when you set out to plan and achieve godly goals.

Celebrate
There are 366 days, 52 weeks, and 12 months in 2012. Celebrate little victories along the path of achieving your goals and celebrate big time when you are able to cross a goal off of your list. Two passage that will help you celebrate small and large victories are Ecclesiastes 3:11 and Lamentations 3:22-24.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV)

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:22–24 ESV)

God wants to accomplish great things in and through your life this year. It is my prayer that you will set aside some time in the next few days to plan and dedicate your time, talent, and treasure to following after the goals God sets in your heart.

For more on prayer and setting goals, check out The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson which helped inspire and give structure to today’s post.

Conference, Discipleship, Leadership, Ministry, Mission, Remarkable, Resources

Present at Catalyst 2011

I just returned from my 9th Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. Hands down, this is always my favorite weekend of the year. It is an opportunity to hear new voices, reflect on my calling, and cast vision for the future. This year was no different except…

Now I’m no longer the youth minister but now I’m the team leader. I’m the senior person on staff. I’m responsible for other leaders and volunteers now. The game changed since last October. It’s a freeing, scary, awesome, terrifying place to be. I am loving it.

What I love about Catalyst is that I don’t return with a series of new plans or programs that I’m ready to implement this Wednesday. Catalyst isn’t the kind of conference where you change everything about your ministry and programs 10 minutes after stepping off the plane back home.

Catalyst is a slow burn. The thoughts, concepts, challenges, and exhortations go to work in your own heart and mind first. Then, over time the things I have heard in October will begin to guide and change my approach or thinking. The change has to start within me as the leader.

Here are a few of the thoughts or concepts that are currently marinating in my soul from this weekend. I don’t know what they all mean for my context right now but I’m trusting that God will use them to make a big change in me so I can lead where I am more effectively.

  • Don’t be fair, be engaged. – Andy Stanley
  • Go deep rather than wide. Go long-term rather than short-term. Go time, not just money. – Andy Stanley
  • Life is people. – Jim Collins
  • 3 Behaviors that allow leaders to thrive: 1) Fanatical Discipline, 2) Empirical Creativity, 3) Productive Paranoia – Jim Collins
  • The Signature of mediocrity is not an unwillingness to change, innovate, or grow; it’s chronic inconsistency. – Jim Collins
  • Fire Bullets, then Cannonballs. – Jim Collins
  • What is my “20 Mile March“?
  • Learn to marry creativity with discipline so that disciple amplifies creativity. – Jim Collins
  • We live in a world that is holding on for dear life to straws. – Joel Houston
  • An incredible team in a culture of excellence matters. – Dave Ramsey
  • Bring it everyday. – Dave Ramsey
  • Readdress your calling everyday. – Dave Ramsey
  • “If I could get a transcript of your prayers over the last month, what would be the one thing you kept praying for?” – Francis Chan
  • We make the things we are afraid of functional gods that we worship. – Mark Driscoll
  • Fear makes us false prophets. We predict a future that will never happen and cause ourselves fear, stress, and anxiety over these things that will never happen.- Mark Driscoll
  • Fear is vision without hope. – Mark Driscoll
  • FEAR NOT! Fear not, your Daddy is with you. – Mark Driscoll
  • Hatred of injustice is not the same thing as a love for everyday people. – Cornel West
  • Love is about going on the offensive. – Cornel West
  • We are who we are because somebody loved us. – Cornel West
  • Messiahs are crucified; prophets are assassinated. – Cornel West
  • Be intentional about pouring into those leaders that are coming behind you. It’s not about filling their cup. It is about emptying yours. – Andy Stanley
  • MEDs– Model, Explain, Demonstrate – Andy Stanley
  • Success is ultimately measured by whether or not you leave your responsibilities in capable hands. – Andy Stanley
  • Let’s hand the church better off than it was handed to us… to those who can do it better than us. – Andy Stanley

These are just a few examples of the leadership challenges and questions that are currently running laps around my head and heart. I walked away from Catalyst 2011 just like every other year thinking:

I am so blessed and honored to have experienced what I just experienced. Thank you Father for the Catalyst Team and for all that they do.

It is my prayer that God will give me the wisdom I need to do something with what I heard and experienced.

See you in Dallas, Catalyst Team!

 

 

 

Experience, Family Ministry, I Love My Church, Leadership, Ministry, Mission

I (Heart) My Church

IHEARTCHURCHbumper Starting this week, I am sending out a personal email message to the men and woman of our church. Here is a glimpse at this week’s email message:

1) I really do LOVE my CHURCH! I don’t want you to think I’m being corny or clichéd. I get FIRED UP when I think about what God is doing there and what he will do as we seek to follow Him and lift up the name of Jesus to those around us. God created the church to be the vehicle where the Good News of Jesus is SPOKEN ABOUT and DEMONSTRATED to every generation of people. And WE GET TO BE A PART OF THAT TOGETHER!!! What’s not to love about that? I LOVE THIS CHURCH and my prayer is that YOU LOVE THIS CHURCH TOO!

2) In an effort to communicate with you about what is happening at here, the plan will be to send out 2 emails each week.

Each week I want to send a letter to you recapping the weekend and casting vision for what is coming up for us. Consider this email a personal letter from me sharing with you what’s on my heart. One of the reasons for this is because I REALLY want to invest some time in being focused on some things that we’re going to be doing this fall. It is my prayer that this coming season will be one of THE most fruitful seasons of ministry we’ve EVER had!

The other email will be a newsletter and will include announcements, prayer requests, and event information. You should have received this email already this week. Think of that email as an extension of our Sunday bulletin.

The whole point of this is not to flood your inbox with a ton of information but we want to make sure we are COMMUNICATING with you on a regular basis. These two weekly email, I believe, will help us do just that.

3) This Sunday, we will continue the “I (Heart) Church” series. We will be talking about what real biblical COMMUNITY looks like and I don’t want you to miss it! In preparation for this Sunday’s message, take some time to read through some of Jesus’ words concerning his church…

Matthew 5:13-16
Matthew 11:28-30
Matthew 16:15-19
Matthew 18:19-20
Matthew 22:36-40
Matthew 25: 34-40
Matthew 28:18-20

4) School starts back next week and I want to challenge you to be praying for our STUDENTS and for our TEACHERS. The pressure on our students can be pretty overwhelming for them- the pressure to perform and excel can leave them believing that their IDENTITY is wrapped up in WHAT THEY DO not WHO THEY ARE IN CHRIST. I want everyone in our church to PRAY that God will COVER these students with his blessings this school year, that He will STRENGTHEN them to stand tall in their FAITH, and He will PROTECT them from a culture that wants to destroy them.

I also want all of you to PRAY FOR OUR TEACHERS. As the school year begins, many people of Lakeside will be in the classroom or on the field GUIDING and LEADING students. They are on the FRONT LINE of helping to lead the next generation. They need your prayers for ENCOURAGEMENT, STRENGTH, and PASSION. Please pray for the teachers at Lakeside AND I want to challenge you to daily PRAY FOR YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER BY NAME for the entire school year!

5) I am so proud of those of you who have been reaching out and serving the residents of the retirement community next door. I heard that the Bible study last night was a PACKED HOUSE! The time spent loving on and caring for our neighbors has not gone unnoticed. I appreciate your desire and heart for service! Many thanks Ladies!!! Keep up the great work!